Process of agglomerating minerals.



UNITED 1 s rA rns PATEN T OFFICE...

WALTER G. PERKINS AND THOMAS COX, JR, OF SAN FRANCISCO,

' CALIFORNIA.

No. 852,611. I

1'0 al/L whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WALTER G. Pnaxms,

a subject of rthe King of Great Britain, and

ITHOMAS COX, Jr.,- a citizen of the United States, residing in San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State. of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Agglomerating. Minerals, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to the process of agglomerating certain elements or ores into acomplete or partial solid'inass by the application of heat, as an inflammable gas, and an air current,

In the treatment of certain metalliferous ores or compounds it has been discovered that by mixing or commin ling them in a suitable vessel and applying eat from an external source untilithe temperature of the mass has been raised to a certaindegree and then providing a supply. of oxygen, as'by an airblast,.the process of combustion of certain ingredients of the mass will continue until the proper chemical combinations and reactions have taken place to release or transform the objectionable elements, and then to.

gradually. agglomerate or 'sinte'r the entire mass so that it can be subsequently treated for releasing and securing the 'metallic portions, preferably by smelting.

Heretofore it has generally been the practiceitoapply the initial or external heat by'a heated or combustible material placed in the vessel with, or prior to the charge,- but such recesses require the application of a new or 'reshsunply of fuel to or with each and every charge that is. placed in the vessel or recep tacle within which the process is carried forward, in some cases the vessel being of a peculiar. construction to facilitate the process,

But in the practice of our inventionwe first gredien'ts or ores which We wishto treat mix or commingle inasuitablevessel, the inwhich are preferably in the form of oxide, sulfids, sulfates,- carbonates and silicates, either as raw material or as'products, by products, etc.,-obtained during the reduc tion processes, as smeltin ,concentrating etc. and then apply heat from an external source, preferably in the form of an ignited inflammable gas, with or without its being mixed with air or steam, and under more or less pressure.

Specification of Letters Patent.

anmicationfiled December 29, 1906. Serial No. 293,848.

Patented May 7, 1907.

The gas is generated in any suitable manner and conveyed to the comm ngled mass of ingredients as above indicated, which will also include the products and by-products 1 formed during the process, and there ignited and caused to permeate the mass until the vheat generated thereby is suflicient to cause the oxygen of the incoming air to combine with certain of the ingredients, as sulfur, and

thereby continue generation of heat without the gas, to cause the mass to become fused together or agglomerated to form a sinter which can be then treated in any desired manner, preferably by smelting in blast furnace.

During the process, the introduction of the .gas can and'may be varied or controlled so that at first the full or greatest amount required and'employed can be used which is gradually decreased when the latent heat of the mass begins to be liberated by the chem ical reactions. The air so introducedwith or without the as can be warmed or heated to any desired egree before its introduction into the mass and itma have the gas mixed or commingled therewit during its introduc% tion or the air and gas may be introduced separately. f V

' By means of our process it is evident that the charging of the pots can be done at any time and in any desired manner and when it is desired to treat the material, the gas may be ignited and admitted to the mass and then regulated to suit the conditions thereof sierfect the agglomeration, the admission "oft e air being preferably increased with the "decrease of the amount of gas introduced af- ,ter the generation of the heat from the'burning material has commenced.

The use of gas as a fuel is moreconve'nient and economical than solid fuel,. and the su ply bein'g unlimited,'the initial heat can e continued until the desired degree of heat is obtained to'start the continuousor subsequent combustion, Which could not be done where an insufficient amount "of solid fuel is used with the-older processes, and where there is an insufficient amount of the element that sup orts the later combustion, as sulfur, the introduction of the desired amount of heat from the gas may be continued during the entire process, whereas with solid fuel the treatment of such ores or materials would be an i nipossibility. And the supply being controllable, it also prevents the heat becoming so excessive as to produce fusion of the mass, which can not be revented Where an excess 5 of solid fuel is user Still another advantage arising from the use of gaseous fuel is that it avoids the introduction into the charge of foreign or objectionable material, as ,the ash or other silicious material, which must be to suhseq uently removed or treated, as by fiuxing, as must be done when solid fuel, as wood or coal, is used.

Having described our inve'ntion, what We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters 15 Patent, is-

1. The process of agglomerating certain metalhfcrous ores containing a material hav- .ing fuel properties, wlnch consists in placing the same Within a receptacle, then applying: {20 heat thereto from an ignited inflammable gaseous material, then introducing air thereto, and then regulating the supply of gas and air until the mass has become agglomerated. I 2. The process of aggloinerating certain 2' 5 elements in the form of oxide, sulfide, sulfates,

carbonates and silicates, which consists in commingling said elements in a receptacle,

then applying heat thereto from an ignited inflammable gas, then introducing air, and then regulating the supply of gas and air until the mass has become agglomerated.

3. The process of agglomerating certain elements in the form of oxids, sulfates, sulfids, carbonates and silicates, which consists in commingling said elements in a receptacle, then applying heat thereto from an ignited inflammable gas until heat is generated from the combustion of a portion of said elements, then decreasing theheat from the gas, and

then introducing air to complete the agglomeration of said mass.

M. R. SEELY,

B, L. QUAYLE. 

